Toyota says it is recalling about 437,000 Prius and other hybrid cars worldwide to fix brake problems — the latest in a string of embarrassing safety problems at the world’s largest automaker.
Company President Akio Toyoda made the recall announcement at a press conference Tuesday in Tokyo.
“We have decided to recall as we regard safety for our customers as our foremost priority,” Toyoda said.
The recall is of the 2010 Prius gas-electric hybrid that went on sale last year. Also being recalled are two other hybrids — the Lexus HS250h sedan and the Sai, which is sold only in Japan, the AP said.
In the U.S., Toyota will recall 133,000 Prius cars and 14,500 Lexus HS250h vehicles. Nearly 53,000 Priuses are also being recalled in Europe. Toyota is suspending production of the Sai and Lexus HS250h in Japan until updated software for those models is ready.
U.S. safety officials are investigating complaints that Prius brakes can fail momentarily. The recall will slice the iconic vehicle’s value and could hurt Toyota’s reputation even more than two other, bigger recalls.
Toyota has said it made running changes on Priuses in production to improve the brakes but did not modify those already on the road.
FULL STORY
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2010-02-09-prius09_ST_N.htm
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